Monday, May 25, 2009

So after our cozy little group had our wonderful brunch at Jana and David's, it was time to catch a train for our afternoon field trip. Off to Karlstejn! Karlstejn is one of the easiest day trips from Prague; it's a vista so sacred to Czechs it's enshrined in a mural in the National Museum along with three of their other fabulous castles. My Czech friend Jana said when she was in America, the three views of the Czech Republic she had in her head when she thought of home were the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and Karlstejn. It's easy to see why.

Taking a train rather than a carallowed us to pay attentionto children, our friends, and the viewrather than the road.Food for thought.

The train hugged the Berounka Riverall the way to the castle.A gorgeous trip.

We're here!

One last look at the riverbefore we head up through the villageto the castle.

It's all uphill from here,but you wouldn't know itfrom how much fun we were having.

David said this wooden structure overhangingthe side of the castleserved as a handy WC.

The last push to the top!

Gulnara

A family portrait of our hosts:David, their daughter, and Jana

Looking from the castle downwards:this was part of the village roadwe just climbed up

The well at the top of Karlstejn.It was impressive not only for how deepthey chose to digbut also how steep a roof they choseto shingle.The drop down for the rooferto the mountain belowwould probably cause death.

Karlstejn, in all it's glory.

Click on my title if you want to read about the gory and disgusting "biological warfare" that took place here. It's very easy to imagine a movie featuring this story - and even easier to imagine the Monty Python actors giving it their special treatment.

Czech pride isn't usually displayedwith the same nationalistic fervoras American pride -but here we find an exception.And why not, it's the National Museum!

My friend Sher shows off the mezzanine.She had been here once before.

Her then fiance, now husband, Jirick,had brought her here a classical concert.Listeners are given red velvet cushions to siton the stairs to enjoy a chamber music quartetset up on the mezzanine.

The very day we were there,the Museum would be showcasing aperformance of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"later in the evening.

Four famous Czech castlesare featured in beautiful murals.The most famous of these castles isKarlstejn.

Sher specifically wanted to see the exhibiton pre-Czech tribal peoples.I'm glad we had English-language audioguides,otherwise I wouldn't have known what I was looking at.It was interesting to know that multitudes of peoplehave been moving through these lands for centuries.

The permanent exhibitsat the Museum are all science(without entertainment addedlike more up-to-date museums).They were created when science wassupposed to be enough!

The most sacred space in the Museumfor Czechs is called the Pantheon.What a room of indescribable beauty!Again, it demanded top hats and tails,ball gowns and baubles.I don't think it's used that way though.It's where Czech heros and heads of statelie in state.

Out the balconywas Wenceslas Square -where Czechs assembledwhen they were overthrowing their government.

We giggled as we imagined ourselves flinging openthe windows and 'addressing the Czechs.'Unfortunately, no words of wisdomthat would live on videotapefor generations came to mind.I'm sure my new President will do betterwhen he comes to speak next month!

The Czech National symbol is the lion.

I love superb craftsmanship.Look at the detail on these hand-carved doors.Note that the bottom door says 1885.It's partner door had a date a couple years later.

The marble floor of the Pantheon.No pictures do this room justice.

An architectural model of the museum dome.Can you believe it?We spent six hours here that day.

We saw two temporary exhibits as well.One was on the First Republic,a short twenty-year period of democracythat occurred here in the early 20th century.The second exhibit was photosof the Warsaw Pact Invasion andOccupation during the Prague Spring.

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